Governance

• Senate Graduate Council: The AVP, GSPA, chairs the Senate Graduate Council, which receives information and makes recommendations to Senate on governance, regulations, educational policies, and other matters relating to graduate education at the University. On behalf of Senate, it approves new graduate courses, minor modifications, and the creation or revision of graduate scholarships and awards. 

• Graduate Operations Committee (GradOps): The AVP, GSPA, chairs this committee, which brings together the Associate Deans, Graduate Studies (ADG) of each faculty, as well as the Director, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, to oversee graduate operations at the University of Waterloo.  It serves as the operational forum for developing and refining procedures and administrative practices for graduate studies. 

• Graduate Student Relations Committee (GSRC): The AVP, GSPA, is the Co‑chair (alternating with the Graduate Student Association (GSA) President) of this committee, which connects graduate student representatives with senior University officers on student life and engagement. It recommends incidental fees (excluding GSA-determined or contract-based fees), and advises on changes to minimum PhD funding. It also reviews proposed tuition, co-op fees, and Class “Z” policies affecting graduate students. 

• Advisory Committee on Graduate Scholarships and Awards: Chaired by the AVP, GSPA, or delegate, the committee reviews internal and external award nominations on behalf of GSPA and the University of Waterloo. Members are appointed by the Faculty Associate Deans of Graduate Studies and typically serve three‑year terms. Before participating in reviews, members must complete the Government of Canada’s Unconscious Bias Training Module. Committee members assess application packages and recommend recipients or which applications should advance to external‑level competitions. 

• Senate: The AVP, GSPA, is a member of Senate, which oversees academic programs and educational policies, manages faculty appointments and tenure, sets qualifications for degrees and diplomas, confers honorary degrees, and appoints the Chancellor, and, subject to Board approval where spending is involved, may create, modify, or dissolve schools, institutes, departments, or chairs.  

• Senate Executive Committee: The AVP, GSPA, is a member of this committee, which prepares Senate agendas, reviews committee and council reports, and makes decisions on urgent matters on behalf of the Senate.  The Committee may also request special meetings of Senate or when the agenda does not warrant a meeting of Senate may cancel the meeting.  

• Research & Innovation Council: The AVP, GSPA, is a member of the Research & Innovation Council, which advises Senate on strategic research matters, plans, reports, policies, and emerging priorities. It reviews proposals for new or closing centres and institutes, recommends actions to Senate, and approves renewals on Senate's behalf. Controversial issues may be referred to Senate.  

• Honorary Degrees Committee: The AVP, GSPA, is a member of this committee, which considers and makes recommendations to the Senate on the conferral of honorary degrees, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, and Honorary Member of the University. 

• Deans’ Council: The AVP, GSPA, is a member of this council, which, under the direction of the Provost, serves as the main executive consultative council on academic and operational matters. Deans’ Council addresses traditional academic and operational matters, as well as strategic and operational matters that involve broad coordination across the University and those requiring full executive awareness and input. 

• Council of Academic Leaders: The AVP, GSPA, is a member of the Council of Academic Leaders, which is convened by the Vice-President, Academic and Provost and includes the President and Vice-Presidents, Presidents/Principals of Affiliated and Federated Institutions of Waterloo (AFIW), Deans, Associate Deans, Chairs and Directors, and other members of Executive Council. The Committee is convened by the Provost as a forum for discussing issues and developments that shape strategic directions and important high-level operational items, as well as for annual updates on planning topics of widespread interest and impact. 

• Executive Council: The AVP, GSPA, is a member of the Council, which, under the direction of the University of Waterloo President, serves as a body through which discussions of institutional strategic and operational priorities can be shared across academic and administrative leadership, providing feedback and consideration of impacts across various portfolios.  

• Academic Quality Enhancement Committee: The AVP, GSPA, co-chairs this committee with the Associate Vice-President, Academic (AVPA); the committee oversees the University's Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP) on Senate’s behalf (including Final Assessment Reports and Progress Reports) and reports to Senate. At Waterloo, the AVPA (undergraduate) and AVP, GSPA (graduate) hold delegated IQAP authority from the Provost. 

• University Committee on Student Appeals (UCSA): The AVP, GSPA, serves as Co-Chair of this committee alongside the Associate Vice-President, Academic. Operating under Policy 72, the committee hears and makes final decisions on student appeals related to discipline penalties, grievance decisions, decisions of Faculty Committees on Student Appeals, and other matters referred by Senate or the Board of Governors. The committee reports annually to Senate on appeal cases heard, their nature, and any recommendations arising from its work. 

• University Tenure, Permanence and Promotion Committee (UTPPC): The AVP, GSPA, is a member of this committee, which is chaired by the Vice-President, Academic & Provost and includes the Faculty Deans and the Vice-President, Research & International. The committee advises the President on individual tenure, permanence, and promotion cases and on the comparability of standards across the University, helping to ensure the consistent application of the principles and criteria set out in Policy 77. 

GSPA represents the University of Waterloo in regional, provincial and national communities of practice on graduate education:

• Ontario Council on Graduate Studies (OCGS)

• Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS)

• Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance (Quality Council)

• Balsille School of International Affairs — Board of Directors

To support the strategic direction of postdoctoral affairs at the University of Waterloo, the Associate Vice-President, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (AVP, GSPA) and select GSPA staff are responsible for the management of postdoctoral scholars (postdocs) at the University of Waterloo.  This includes oversight and regular updates to the Postdoctoral scholars guidelines, in partnership with the six Waterloo faculties.